Toddlers who watch a lot of television are more likely to be bullied by the age of 11 or 12, a new study suggests.

Canadian researchers followed the progress of almost 2,000 boys and girls. Their TV watching habits at the age of 29 months were reported by their parents and then the children themselves reported any instances of victimisation when they were in the equivalent of 6th class in primary school.

These instances included verbal and physical abuse, and having belongings taken away from them.

The study found that the more TV children watched at the age of 29 months, the more likely they were to be victimised by classmates at the age of 11 or 12 years.

"Every standard deviation unit increase of 53 minutes in daily televiewing at 29 months predicted an 11% standard deviation unit increase in bullying by sixth class classmates," commented Prof Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal.

She pointed out that these results stood even when other factors that might have influenced the likelihood that the child would be bullied were taken into account, such as behaviour, cognitive abilities and characteristics of their family, including income.

She said that children who watch too much TV at a young age may end up with poorer social skills, making them easier targets for bullies.

"It is plausible that early lifestyle habits characterised by less effortful interactive experiences, such as early televiewing, can ultimately result in social skill deficits. More time spent watching television leaves less time for family interaction, which remains the primary vehicle for socialisation," explained Professor Pagani.

She also pointed out that early television exposure ‘is linked with developmental deficits associated with brain functions that drive interpersonal problem solving, emotional regulation, socially competent peer play, and positive social contact'.

"TV viewing may also lead to poor eye-contact habits - a cornerstone of friendship and self-affirmation in social interaction," she said.

Prof Pagani noted that there are 24 hours in a day and with children, ‘half should be spent meeting basic needs - eating, sleeping, hygiene - and the remainder spent on enriching activities and relationships'.

Play is an essential part of this because it is an ‘unstructured activity' that allows children to be creative, while also allowing parents to see how their children interact with others.

"Excessive viewing time during the early years can create a time debt for pursuits involving social play," she noted.

In other words, if watching TV replaces play, this could lead to serious consequences for the child.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.